The risk of premature death from cancer is less than half in elderly runners than non-runners.

According to the Stanford University Medical Centre team’s report, elderly joggers enjoyed a healthier life with fewer disabilities.

The findings have been published in Archives of Internal Medicine and they stress on the importance of regular exercise for older people.

Only the fittest survives.

In the study, the record of 500 older runners was tracked for more than twenty years and then it was compared to a similar group of non-runners. It’s worth mentioning that all participants of the study were in their 50s at the start of the study.

After nineteen years into the study, almost 36 percent of the non-runners had died while the death rate was 15 percent among the runners.

The rates of disability were similar in both groups but in non-runners the initiation of disability started earlier (an average of 16 years earlier)

The difference between runners and non-runners’ health was on increase even they entered their ninth decade of life.

The researchers found that running not only slowed down the rates of heart and artery related deaths but also caused fewer early deaths from cancer.

The researchers also didn’t find any evidence that showed runners had more chances to suffer osteoarthritis and knee replacements than non-runners.

According to lead author Professor James Fries, “This study has a clear-cut pro-exercise message. If you really want to keep yourself in good health with the passage of time, you will have to find some time for aerobics”

Tags: aerobics, Cancer, enjoyed, evidence, fewer disabilities, initiation, medicine, premature death